Manchester United and Liverpool may fancy their Champions League last-16 chances, Manchester City have a kind tie but Tottenham get a worrying one… as English clubs learn European fate
England’s elite were dealt a mixed hand in the knockout stages of the Champions League after three of the four went into the last-16 draw unseeded.
Manchester City face struggling Schalke, while rivals Manchester United take on Paris Saint-Germain. Liverpool and Tottenham play German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund respectively.
Here, Sportsmail looks at what the Premier League clubs can expect when the competition returns in February.
Schalke vs Manchester City
Pep Guardiola heads back to Germany and Leroy Sane is back where he started his career. The draw has been kind to Manchester City, who could have been paired with Atletico Madrid.
Guardiola has constantly spoken about City’s lack of history in Europe and this gives them a good chance to progress.
Schalke are floundering in 13th in the Bundesliga this year and, while the atmosphere away from home may play a part, this should not be a problem.
Key man: Sebastian Rudy
Verdict: There will be much optimism that the Premier League champions can reach the quarter-finals again.
Manchester City will face German side Schalke in the Champions League last 16
The Bundesliga outfit came second in Group D on 11 points – five points behind winners Porto
Manchester United vs Paris Saint-Germain
Given who else could have come out of the hat, Jose Mourinho may well be happy about the draw.
There is a huge gulf in class between PSG’s domestic programme and playing on the continent and that has been a problem for them in the past.
Even though they score for fun, there is a fragility to PSG and Manchester United are best served getting at the Ligue 1 champions as Liverpool managed at Anfield earlier in the season.
Mourinho will probably point to Thomas Tuchel being able to ring the changes in the week before their games.
Key player: Kylian Mbappe
Verdict: It could have been a whole lot worse for Mourinho, with question marks remaining over PSG’s ability to go far into the competition despite money spent.
Manchester United have been drawn against French giants Paris Saint-Germain
Brazilian superstar Neymar will be hoping to dazzle against United’s poor defence
Tottenham vs Borussia Dortmund
Jadon Sancho’s first club return to England with Dortmund will be against the team who were vying for his signature when the winger left Manchester City.
This is a worrying draw for Tottenham, who face a team atop the Bundesliga and a huge nine points clear of Bayern Munich.
Dortmund are a different proposition to the one who lost twice against Spurs in the Champions League last year. The important takeaway from then, though, is how they handled the Westfalenstadion.
Key player: Christian Pulisic
Verdict: There will be a degree of anxiety before this one, even though Mauricio Pochettino can point to a couple of wins against the same opposition in 2017.
It’s a case of deja-vu for Tottenham as they will face Borussia Dortmund once again
The match up will see Jadon Sancho return to the English shores after leaving Manchester City
Liverpool vs Bayern Munich
The troubles Bayern Munich have encountered this season will serve as significant buoyancy for Jurgen Klopp. They are conceding more goals than ever before, giving up three goals in a trio of matches over the last six weeks.
Bayern did not want Liverpool. They are sluggish when they lose the ball in midfield and that should play into Klopp’s hands.
Interestingly, the Bavarians’ away record is more consistent than at the Allianz Arena this term but Anfield looks a very difficult prospect.
Key man: Robert Lewandowski
Verdict: Historically this would have been a nightmare draw but Klopp’s side ought to feel they are favourites to go through.
Liverpool have been handed a tough draw against fellow five-time winners Bayern Munich
Robert Lewandowski will be Bayern’s main attacking threat that the Reds will have to stop
